If ever a theme song were perfectly matched to a television show, it’s Malvina Reynolds’ “Little Boxes.” The quietly subversive 1962 song sums up everything that’s wrong with the suburban community of Agrostic on the Showtime series “Weeds,” whose third season begins tonight at 10 p.m.

According to music-industry legend, Reynolds wrote “Little Boxes” while driving by Daly City, Calif., where many box-like houses, clearly visible from Highway 10, stand in rows upon a hill (“Little boxes on the hillside/And they all look the same”). The folk tune became an anti-conformist anthem; 45 years later, it lends resonance to the shady dealings of pot dealer Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker).

“It’s a very daring song conveyed in a completely charming manner,” says series creator and executive producer Jenji Kohan. “I loved [Malvina’s] sound and I loved what she was saying.”

Figuring how to the song could speak to prospective viewers took some brainstorming, though, as Kohan did not know if Lionsgate, the producing studio, would pay to air the original. To prepare for the possibility that it would not, supervising producer Mark Burley started collecting covers to use instead.

The studio ultimately managed to acquire the rights to Reynolds’ version, which played in the show’s first season, but in the second season, a different band or artist, such as Elvis Costello, sang the classic tune each week.

Kohan gave Burley the go-ahead to enlist even more artists.

The final haul, more than 100 submissions, has surprised even the show’s producers. Reynolds’ folkie contemporaries Joan Baez and Donovan as well as Mr. Movie-theme Randy Newman and indie band The Shins all contributed interpretations this year. Oscar-winning actor Billy Bob Thornton submitted a rendition without even being asked. And some of the coolest takes on the Reynolds classic come from less well-known artists, such as L.A. ensemble Rilo Kiley and Afro-pop songstress Angelique Kidjo, who turned the song into an African choral anthem.

“I love some of these versions so much that I play them in my car when I’m just driving around,” says Kohan.

“I think the music is another character in the show. It’s an extension of the script,” says Kohan. “All of our choices are really eclectic and there’s no set voice. Sometimes we use music that’s right on point for a scene, others we choose something that’s completely counterpoint. It’s always just stuff we really like.”